 ON RAGLAN ROAD ON AN AUTUMN DAY
I SAW HIM FIRST AND KNEW
THAT HIS DARK HAIR WOULD WEAVE A SNARE
THAT I MIGHT ONE DAY RUE
Night had fallen, the time of stars and secrets, tender kisses and raucous life - the foundation of their Court. Reichenbach had been at the lake almost all day, wandering, thinking, deciding. The positions of his court would need to be filled by those that upheld the values of Denocte and had their peoples best interests at heart - whether they be foreign or familiar mattered little to the new Sovereign. After all, was Denocte not built from outcasts and travellers? Calligo herself had been dismissed by her siblings, and as it was, their own Sovereign was an orphan, unwanted by the blood of his mother and father. Reichenbach did not often linger on that part of his past, leaving it to loiter like a poisonous shadow underneath the crook of his careless smile and jovial eyes.
Instead, he focused on his most recent history - and the task at hand. He had summoned two to the lakeside, sending one of his little orphan boys to find and deliver a message to each man:
"Reichenbach asks you to join him at Vitreus Lake"
Had either man asked what the meeting might be about, the orphan would not have known, understanding only that he was to deliver the message and then gather a reward waiting for him at the keep. Reich could see each mans reaction clearly - Lothaire would have studied the boy, cool and collected, memorising each feature on the boys face and storing the information away. Camdis (the name sent a finger trailing down Reich's spine) would have simply nodded and set a path for the lake, long locks trailing behind him silently.
So Reichenbach waited, two questions dangling from his lips - and two men coming to answer them.
ON GRAFTON STREET IN NOVEMBER
WE TRIPPED LIGHTLY ALONG THE LEDGE
OF A DEEP RAVINE WHERE CAN BE SEEN
THE WORTH OF PASSIONS PLEDGED
@Camdis @Lothaire
ew for my starter but EXCITED.
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Private - the worth of passions pledged —
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Recently, he had felt... strange. There was a sense of disconnect between body, heart, and ideal of self. The stallion was not sure where this sensation had come from or when it would leave him, but all he knew was that he could not wait to feel himself again. Even if the scarlet stained brute's understanding of normal was a constant drone of self loathing and bitterness that filled his days and his breath - he supposed that normal was just what one was used to, and Camdis Lohir was entirely used to the blackened feeling of self hatred along his spine. It should have been a comfort, this feeling of not-quite-apathy, not-quite-emptiness that surrounded the man like a veil. He wondered distantly if others had noticed, though he doubted it, he hadn't in contact with many that knew him well enough to make such an observation. Indeed, Camdis assumed that Kaladin or Pretty Bexley were the only two creatures that had marked his mannerisms enough to notice a change in the grouchy stag. A shrug rolled over his well muscled shoulders as he trudged toward the Vitreus, that fated meeting place of Rostislav and his first encounter with his own reflection; it would be well enough in time, Camdis could learn to live with a general sense of other as long as it didn't remove him from the place that he was beginning to carve out for himself in Denocte. Hopefully he could begin to carve out a home for himself in his sovereign's heart as well. A grim smile tugged at the stallion's mouth at the thought of Reichenbach, that bruised skin and those glimmering grins paired with an intense gaze and an air of intimacy that practically made Camdis' skin crawl with craving. It was not that the caretaker lusted after his monarch - though there had been a moment between their last meeting and his current state that the stallion had allowed a rather uncouth amount of heat into his thoughts with the youthful king - no, the draw to the Emperor of Stars was set deeper than that. There was something more than attraction that burned within Camdis Lohir's gut and while he could not place it, he welcomed it. It was suspiciously similar to joy, dangerously close to an inferno, worriedly akin to everything and nothing all at once. Yet, as the regal silhouette of his sovereign came into view, all sharp corners and curved edges, Camdis' smile slipped from his lips. It was as if every time he saw the gypsy lad, each time he laid eyes upon that silken skin - He wondered what it would be to touch that skin, to feel the heat that undoubtedly rolled from the boy king's frame, to press against the musculature of his side in something closer, louder, bigger, than camaraderie - he was in awe. Truly, though, it was not shocking that Reichenbach inspired such a reaction from anyone, least of all Camdis, for it was no secret that the monarch was of things more beautiful than the common man. He was of star stuff and moon dust, a lullaby and a war drum, searing heat and frigid embrace, a crowned Child of Denocte in every possible way. Drawing nearer and slowing to a stop before his king, standing square with chin held high, Camdis grinned and gave a nod to his emperor, rumbling voice breaking the relative silence that had descended as the moon rose, "Greetings, my friend." He flicked his heavy tail, the locks landing upon the grassy earth with a muffled thump, "The boy that fetched me - one of your wards - he is smart and swift, I would like to have him assigned to me as my page, if it pleases you. I believe it would do me well to have someone to fetch my herbs and tinctures." What the stallion would not say, though, what was blaring within his skull, was that Camdis would like to offer the softer side of his nurturing urges to someone that deserved it, not some sniveling lordling who couldn't be bothered to learn something from a lowly healer. @Reichenbach ahhh and we're getting back. <33 ![[Image: lothaire_by_destrierdesigns-dbelvo5.png]](http://orig10.deviantart.net/a7f1/f/2017/181/7/8/lothaire_by_destrierdesigns-dbelvo5.png) Reichenbach's sparrow-child had come to Lothaire as midnight splintered and shattered across the sky, whispering a message which, of course, disturbed his curiosity. Like a serpent unfurling from a deep slumber he stirred in the cool, clustered lashes brushing against cheekbones carved from marble and apathy. It had been but a few days since the Sovereign's coronation but still celebration poured across region. The happiness of a clandestine people was a beautiful spectacle to witness, Lothaire could attest to that even if he had not participated as such. It seemed to the reptilian man that Reichenbach was as suitable for the role of monarch as any Night Courtian could possibly be; his eyes were home to galaxies, his laughter was a beacon against the darkness of Calligo's grief, and most of all, his heart was as wide and as wavering the ocean lapping at Denocte's skin. Lothaire could almost hear its intense song whenever he watched the sable king; it told a tale of blistering truth - a harp thrumming incessantly to the beat of its own drum. Lothaire identified the voice of Camdis long before he crested the rolling slope above Vitreus Lake, pausing against the skyline as he did so. An imposing figure was he. The pair below stood at a comfortable distance from each other, one ochre - one bloodied rouge, and Lo could not help but read something close to heat radiating in the chasm between them. He couldn't quite put his finger on it; perhaps he didn't want to. The thought was compartmentalised and locked away as he began to descend, his mile long limbs gliding smoothly as ever until coming to a slow halt a few feet from his companions. And there he hung in the deafeningly thick silence - wall-eyed, contemplative, and most utterly peculiar. @reichenbach @camdis ooc: crappy but wanted to get something up!
The low rumble of Reichenbach's reply sent shivers over the bay's skin and his eyelids drooped ever so slightly in an unconscious response to pleasure. The response that his monarch gave him only served to lighten the horned stallion's mood; he would have to track down the gangly boy, but then he was sure that his offer of a warm bed, a good education, and a full belly would be sufficient. Already, he was planning out the floor plan of his modest chambers, wondering if he could arrange for some of the serving staff to help him track down a folding screen or two so that he could give the lad some privacy. Indeed, he would give the boy his feather mattress and cushions until the pair could go to the bazaar - Camdis estimated he had enough coins left over from his own kingdom that he could furnish his page well enough. Maybe I should invest in some plants as well, maybe young master Raglan has a knack for botany. Lost as he was in his thoughts, the long haired brute didn't notice the nearly silent arrival of the serpent-man Lothaire until the steed was practically upon them, the smooth baritone of Reichenbach's greeting pushing Cam back into the present. Stuffing away his thoughts of attempted mentoring and his craving for a paternal relationship, Camdis turned his silvery gaze toward the winged man and gave a crisp nod in greeting. While he didn't know much of the scaled male, his presence was a cool and steady one; rather comforting for the scarlet stained stallion, what with his own near-constant state of emotional turmoil. With another nod, more to himself than either of the gentlemen that stood before him, Camdis silently agreed that he rather liked the odd mannered and reptilian Lothaire, hopefully he could pick the other man's brain at some point and see if he had any knowledge of the healing arts. Attention seized once more by the words of his monarch, Camdis listened intently to the sable skinned stallion that had so readily offered his friendship, a small grin curling his lips as he looked upon his handsome king. Yet another nod - he had read of the monarch Rhen and his rather... interesting term in office then subsequent disappearance. Not that he could judge the poor fellow, after all, Camdis had been the Exile King, running away and tossing his birthright to the wayside because of his own weaknesses. Distantly, he sent a short prayer to Caligo, requesting she protect her lost king. Then, as the next words fell from Reichenbach's lips, the grin that had graced the stallion's lips fell away in an avalanche of shock. Brows raising and eyes widening, Camdis felt a flash of fear - thrones are deadly, thrones are vengeful, it will kill me it will kill me it will kill me - before he forced it away, reasoning that he would hold no true throne, and that it was the very least that he could do to serve his monarch and servie him well. He had the schooling and experience for it, however short, and Reichenbach may be the clever impish sort, but matters of state could be complicated; however he could advise and assist Caligo's beloved in governing her realm, he would. Blinking away his surprise and settling a mask of careful consideration upon his rouged face, Camdis Lohir glanced at Lothaire, an odd sort of pride filling his chest as he realized that both he and the scaled male would serve the realm well. Turning his gaze back toward Reichenbach, the horned beast felt a grin split his lips as he gave a nod, "I would be overjoyed to assist in governing Denocte." There was a pause where Raglan leaped to the forefront of his mind once more, "May I request chambers with conjoining rooms? With the influx of messages and communications, I'd like to keep Raglan close." He'd see to it that the boy would rise at his side. @Reichenbach @Lothaire sorry for the wait! |
